It only took four weeks, but the Mrs. and I finished the last three episodes of 'Brothers and Sisters'. Honestly? Eh. Not good, not bad. We were able to move them very quickly because we fast forwarded any conversations between Kitty and Robert since its very clear their marriage is over. And we both agree that in this case, Kitty is to blame -- so chalk one up for the men. Calista Flockhart is tiring. So is this show. No one else left to kill, murder, jail, make sick, or give a drug problem too -- so now we'll get a year of boring romances and a wedding between the hated Harper's and our beloved Walkers. Yeah. Blah.
Some other finale thoughts:
-So did Caleigh accidentally kill Eric her boyfriend on CSI: Miami? Who cares.
-Booth has amnesia on 'Bones'. Really? Please don't do this storyline. Please.
-Is Red Jane, the serial killer responsible for taking Patrick Jane's family from him, really going to be Alicia Witt? Why not. She's hot. Or at least she was during her two episode stint on the Sopranos in season 3.
-Peter Griffen made a great point on a recent 'Family Guy' episode. Why is the voice of adult Ted on 'HIMYM' Bob Saget? Ted is going to sound like Ted in 15 years, not Bob Saget.
-'Fringe' is awesome, I think I mentioned that.
Were also still enjoying 'Greek', have three episodes to catch up on and I think about four more to go this season. And the next season premieres on August 31...how great is that.
I think I am going to watch this show on TNT about the Hamptons doctor who makes house calls. That seems semi-entertaining.
FINAL THOUGHT ON 'BONES' FINALE:
Why do TV shows do episodes that are in the dreams of characters where we get to see our favorite characters act out as other characters like were watching a bad play? Booth and Bones finally get busy but its in a dream sequence where they own a night club? Way to ruin the build-up. Dumb, the whole creative concept is dumb. If I wanted to watch these people play other characters on a show that doesn't advance the plot one iota I would write my own fan fiction, thank you very much. Also this, fan fiction is ridiculous. If someone wanted you to write a episode of 'Lost', they would have asked.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Busy Week for the First Daughter
Olivia Taylor started the week in a fight with her mother the President of the United States. 14 hours later she became the chief-of-staff and 8 hours after that her mother was having her arrested and turned over to the justice department for ordering a hit on a criminal while in FBI custody. What a day.
The crazy part is, the next day she showed up in New York City as a victim of rape and stalking. She told Detective's Stabler and Benson all about it and they got the guy. What a busy week.
I love it when all my shows seem to blend together thanks to the rise-and-fall in popularity of secondary character actors in Hollywood. I'll probably never see her again.
The crazy part is, the next day she showed up in New York City as a victim of rape and stalking. She told Detective's Stabler and Benson all about it and they got the guy. What a busy week.
I love it when all my shows seem to blend together thanks to the rise-and-fall in popularity of secondary character actors in Hollywood. I'll probably never see her again.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
24 Finale was interesting and Introspective
Here is my review. Pretend my name is Robert Bianco and I work for USAToday.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Desperate Housewives Finale was Stupid
Yes it was.
We knew Dave was the bad guy for months now, so all we needed was a climactic ending. Well we got one, Dave decides at the last second to recreate the accident that killed his wife and daughter, only this time, Dave is going to have Mike kill Dave and Mike's son! Genius!
At an even laster second, Dave gets hit by Mike but he grew a conscience and let the kid out of the car. Sweet. Dave doesn't die, goes to a mental institution, and Mike kisses Susan. Now Mike is getting married, but is it Susan (again) or his fiancee Katherine. Ooooh, how will I make it all summer?
Meanwhile, since we already knew Dave was the bad guy AND you paid Lily Tomlin to show up, why not use her and Katherine Joosten more and have them actually solve the crime with the cops? You had this interplay going all season - why just downplay it in the finale? Dumb.
Bree's divorce proceedings? Boring.
Tom going back to college / Lynette pregnant again? Awful. Just kill them all.
Carlos and Gabby taking in a teen-gabby? Funny.
Rest of the show? Awful.
We knew Dave was the bad guy for months now, so all we needed was a climactic ending. Well we got one, Dave decides at the last second to recreate the accident that killed his wife and daughter, only this time, Dave is going to have Mike kill Dave and Mike's son! Genius!
At an even laster second, Dave gets hit by Mike but he grew a conscience and let the kid out of the car. Sweet. Dave doesn't die, goes to a mental institution, and Mike kisses Susan. Now Mike is getting married, but is it Susan (again) or his fiancee Katherine. Ooooh, how will I make it all summer?
Meanwhile, since we already knew Dave was the bad guy AND you paid Lily Tomlin to show up, why not use her and Katherine Joosten more and have them actually solve the crime with the cops? You had this interplay going all season - why just downplay it in the finale? Dumb.
Bree's divorce proceedings? Boring.
Tom going back to college / Lynette pregnant again? Awful. Just kill them all.
Carlos and Gabby taking in a teen-gabby? Funny.
Rest of the show? Awful.
Is Your Show Coming Back in the Fall?
Glad you asked. And glad I didn't have to do the leg work -- leave it to my good friend over at EW.com Michael Ausiello. Check back often this week as he is constantly updating the renewal/cancellation page.
Here are some highlights I bet you didn't know:
'Scrubs' is back. Yep. Wha? I already said goodbye and now she returns. A full season on ABC with only Zach Braff appearing in 6 of them.
'Dollhouse' was renewed. Now I better start watching - they are all DVR'd.
'Castle' is back, I enjoyed that show.
Click here for the full list
Here are some highlights I bet you didn't know:
'Scrubs' is back. Yep. Wha? I already said goodbye and now she returns. A full season on ABC with only Zach Braff appearing in 6 of them.
'Dollhouse' was renewed. Now I better start watching - they are all DVR'd.
'Castle' is back, I enjoyed that show.
Click here for the full list
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Lost Finale Breakdown...AK Style...
Here you go. I will follow up with my own comments later. A lot to digest and I have 9 months to do so.
From AK:
What an awesome show. My first reactions are that I can't believe we have to wait 9 more months, followed soon thereafter by I cannot believe there is only one more season left.
I love being wrong about what is going on. I have to give credit to Annie though for at the very beginning of the two hours saying that "dead Locke" was in the box.
New thoughts on what is going on:
The guy at the beginning of the episode (who was awesome in Deadwood) on the beach with Jacob. Is it Esau? Going in a different direction from the Egyptian mythology angle... And going biblical; Jews in Egypt, maybe? For the simplicity of referring to him, I will just call him Esau.
Who is the biblical Esau:
Firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah, and ancestor of the Edomites (Gen chap. 36). Popular etymologies (see Gen 25:25, 30) relate the name Esau to se'ar (hairy) "he was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau" (cf Seir, another name for the land of Edom) and to admoni (ruddy) and adom (red) "the first came forth red" (cf Edom).
Before Esau's birth, it was prophesied that Rebekah's elder son would serve the younger (Gen 25:23). In addition, Esau was born with his twin brother holding his heel, which was interpreted as a sign that Jacob would supplant him. This he did on two occasions: Jacob sold a bowl of lentils to Esau in exchange for the latter's birthright (Gen 25:29-34); and later, with Rebekah's help, he tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for Esau, the firstborn son. Instead of receiving a blessing, Esau's fate was to dwell in the wilderness, live by the sword, and for a time serve his brother Jacob. Some have suggested that this destiny was realized when the Edomites "became David's servants" (II Sam 8:14) in the 10th century, but rebelled successfully against Judean rule (II Kgs 8:20) in the 9th.
In contrast to Jacob the shepherd, Esau was a "skilful hunter, a man of the field" (Gen 25:27), whose venison his father Isaac loved to eat. Esau vowed to kill Jacob (Gen 27:41ff), but when the two met some 20 years later, Esau, at the head of a 400-man army, forgave his brother.
This seems to fit the mold that Jacob on lost is in charge, but that Esau resents his role as leader.
The last sentence of the description above seems to resonate for not only Esau killing Jacob, but also potentially referencing the war of the coming season. Except, of course, in this case Esau (or Ben anyway) kills Jacob.
Esau presumably has the ability to take on the appearance of dead islanders... And I think we can assume that Esau has also been previously appearing as Christian Shepherd. I think it is safe to say that Christian Shepherd is still dead.
Ilyana made the comment, I cannot remember precisely, but more or less that someone else was pretending to be Jacob - right before they burned the cabin down. This seems to be a role reversal. Jacob steals Esau's birthright, and now Esau is taking it back under false pretenses.
Based on the dialog at the beginning, there was sort of an implied love, or at least comradarie between Esau and Jacob prior to Esau saying he wanted to kill Jacob if there were a loophole. Did God forbid one from killing the other?
Ben's line about Locke walking right in "like Moses" jumped out at me, and steered hard into the biblical interpretation of events.
I also am wondering if the boat that Jacob and Esau saw at the beginning of the episode was the Black Rock. Was Richard on it? Esau said that Jacob called for it. Does Jacob need Richard to be the caretaker for the island while he is gone?
Things I still wonder about:
Where is Claire?
Where has Jacob been? Has he been off the island for many years? I get the impression that Richard perhaps hadn't even seen him in years, and that he was stalling Locke because he didn't know if he would be there or not. Is it his absence that has allowed Esau the opportunity to pose as him.
Was the Rose and Bernard thing a simple farewell homage to them? Or was there something more going on there? It seemed like something was going on. Was Juliet holding her stomach as she walked away? Is she pregnant? Is she really dead?
Richard had told Sun that he watched all of her friends die "before his eyes" 30 years ago. I thought we were going to see Richard watching on at the gunfight. They didn't show that to us. He may have been there. If he wasn't, was the flash that ended the episode not realy the bomb going off? If the bomb did go off, I move up my prediction for the series finale to the series premiere next season... If the bomb did go off, we are going to see the remaining survivors boarding flight 815 to start the season. And then presumably the plane will crash again to get the season going? I don't know. I love not knowing.
And last but perhaps definitely most importantly - what was Richard's response to Ilyana's "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" What did he say? And perhaps more importantly, what language was it in?
The response to "What lies in the shadow of the statue?"
It was Latin and Richard answered "Our leader who will save us all!".........translated from "Ille qui nos omnes servabit"
The weaving that Jacob was working on:
Greek reading "may the gods grant thee all that thy heart desires"
From AK:
What an awesome show. My first reactions are that I can't believe we have to wait 9 more months, followed soon thereafter by I cannot believe there is only one more season left.
I love being wrong about what is going on. I have to give credit to Annie though for at the very beginning of the two hours saying that "dead Locke" was in the box.
New thoughts on what is going on:
The guy at the beginning of the episode (who was awesome in Deadwood) on the beach with Jacob. Is it Esau? Going in a different direction from the Egyptian mythology angle... And going biblical; Jews in Egypt, maybe? For the simplicity of referring to him, I will just call him Esau.
Who is the biblical Esau:
Firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah, and ancestor of the Edomites (Gen chap. 36). Popular etymologies (see Gen 25:25, 30) relate the name Esau to se'ar (hairy) "he was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau" (cf Seir, another name for the land of Edom) and to admoni (ruddy) and adom (red) "the first came forth red" (cf Edom).
Before Esau's birth, it was prophesied that Rebekah's elder son would serve the younger (Gen 25:23). In addition, Esau was born with his twin brother holding his heel, which was interpreted as a sign that Jacob would supplant him. This he did on two occasions: Jacob sold a bowl of lentils to Esau in exchange for the latter's birthright (Gen 25:29-34); and later, with Rebekah's help, he tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for Esau, the firstborn son. Instead of receiving a blessing, Esau's fate was to dwell in the wilderness, live by the sword, and for a time serve his brother Jacob. Some have suggested that this destiny was realized when the Edomites "became David's servants" (II Sam 8:14) in the 10th century, but rebelled successfully against Judean rule (II Kgs 8:20) in the 9th.
In contrast to Jacob the shepherd, Esau was a "skilful hunter, a man of the field" (Gen 25:27), whose venison his father Isaac loved to eat. Esau vowed to kill Jacob (Gen 27:41ff), but when the two met some 20 years later, Esau, at the head of a 400-man army, forgave his brother.
This seems to fit the mold that Jacob on lost is in charge, but that Esau resents his role as leader.
The last sentence of the description above seems to resonate for not only Esau killing Jacob, but also potentially referencing the war of the coming season. Except, of course, in this case Esau (or Ben anyway) kills Jacob.
Esau presumably has the ability to take on the appearance of dead islanders... And I think we can assume that Esau has also been previously appearing as Christian Shepherd. I think it is safe to say that Christian Shepherd is still dead.
Ilyana made the comment, I cannot remember precisely, but more or less that someone else was pretending to be Jacob - right before they burned the cabin down. This seems to be a role reversal. Jacob steals Esau's birthright, and now Esau is taking it back under false pretenses.
Based on the dialog at the beginning, there was sort of an implied love, or at least comradarie between Esau and Jacob prior to Esau saying he wanted to kill Jacob if there were a loophole. Did God forbid one from killing the other?
Ben's line about Locke walking right in "like Moses" jumped out at me, and steered hard into the biblical interpretation of events.
I also am wondering if the boat that Jacob and Esau saw at the beginning of the episode was the Black Rock. Was Richard on it? Esau said that Jacob called for it. Does Jacob need Richard to be the caretaker for the island while he is gone?
Things I still wonder about:
Where is Claire?
Where has Jacob been? Has he been off the island for many years? I get the impression that Richard perhaps hadn't even seen him in years, and that he was stalling Locke because he didn't know if he would be there or not. Is it his absence that has allowed Esau the opportunity to pose as him.
Was the Rose and Bernard thing a simple farewell homage to them? Or was there something more going on there? It seemed like something was going on. Was Juliet holding her stomach as she walked away? Is she pregnant? Is she really dead?
Richard had told Sun that he watched all of her friends die "before his eyes" 30 years ago. I thought we were going to see Richard watching on at the gunfight. They didn't show that to us. He may have been there. If he wasn't, was the flash that ended the episode not realy the bomb going off? If the bomb did go off, I move up my prediction for the series finale to the series premiere next season... If the bomb did go off, we are going to see the remaining survivors boarding flight 815 to start the season. And then presumably the plane will crash again to get the season going? I don't know. I love not knowing.
And last but perhaps definitely most importantly - what was Richard's response to Ilyana's "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" What did he say? And perhaps more importantly, what language was it in?
The response to "What lies in the shadow of the statue?"
It was Latin and Richard answered "Our leader who will save us all!".........translated from "Ille qui nos omnes servabit"
The weaving that Jacob was working on:
Greek reading "may the gods grant thee all that thy heart desires"
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
'Fringe' Shocker -- big time
Three things about the 'Fringe' finale that had my jaw drop.
1. They are going to go down the path of the existence of a similar but alternate reality as a major plot device. Wow. I am already dealing with time-travel and those consequences on 'Lost' (JJ Abrams) and now here comes 'Fringe' (JJ Abrams). Someone also told me it plays heavily into the new Star Trek movie (JJ Abrams). I wonder if someday Felicity will make a comeback so Carrie Russel can go back in time and not cut her hair off.
2. Peter is from the other reality. WOW. WOW, WOW, WOW. I figured it out about one second before the reveal. That's always the best way. No spoilers, no early guesses, and then BAM -- you know what they're about to tell you and there its right in your face. Wow. Peter died as a kid so Walter went over and 'took' Peter back. This means in the alternate world, which I assume we will one day spend some time in, Walter has a son who went missing as a child and was never found.
3. The final shot. Wow. Balsy but interesting. So in the alternate world, William Bell works in the World Trade Center. What a reveal as the camera pans out. Also revealed thanks to a newspaper in Bell's office - The White House had to be rebuilt for some reason for the Obamas, JFK is still alive, and so is Len Bias and the Celtics 'swept a series'.
This show is only getting better.
1. They are going to go down the path of the existence of a similar but alternate reality as a major plot device. Wow. I am already dealing with time-travel and those consequences on 'Lost' (JJ Abrams) and now here comes 'Fringe' (JJ Abrams). Someone also told me it plays heavily into the new Star Trek movie (JJ Abrams). I wonder if someday Felicity will make a comeback so Carrie Russel can go back in time and not cut her hair off.
2. Peter is from the other reality. WOW. WOW, WOW, WOW. I figured it out about one second before the reveal. That's always the best way. No spoilers, no early guesses, and then BAM -- you know what they're about to tell you and there its right in your face. Wow. Peter died as a kid so Walter went over and 'took' Peter back. This means in the alternate world, which I assume we will one day spend some time in, Walter has a son who went missing as a child and was never found.
3. The final shot. Wow. Balsy but interesting. So in the alternate world, William Bell works in the World Trade Center. What a reveal as the camera pans out. Also revealed thanks to a newspaper in Bell's office - The White House had to be rebuilt for some reason for the Obamas, JFK is still alive, and so is Len Bias and the Celtics 'swept a series'.
This show is only getting better.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
24: Prelude to a Finale
Next weeks two hour finale looks awesome. Filled with action and entertainment and some twists and some resolution. The last four weeks leading up to this event have sucked. Same old, same old. I love this show, but this is season seven, and there is only so many new tricks you can play. And after season 5, there are no tricks left. So let's just get down to business and figure out how it was that BadGuy, Inc. could quickly figure out that just in case Tony went down they needed a backup plan to rescue him and the best option was to follow Jack's daughter to the airport, even though when the day began, Jack didn't matter to them. Thank god they had two operatives available to pretend to be airline passengers to befriend Kim. Argh.
Watched 'The Big Bang Theory' as well. It was funny. I am glad I got into this show, it's extremely clever.
Watched 'The Big Bang Theory' as well. It was funny. I am glad I got into this show, it's extremely clever.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Weekend Rewind: Mini-Version
Celebrity Apprentice
I didn't think I would enjoy this season, but I really did. The tasks were very interesting, the cast amusing, annoying, brilliant, stupid, and aggravating were fun to watch each week. Of course the problem was NBC's idea that this show could be 2 hours per week and have a 3-hour finale. No it cannot. And thanks to the power of the DVR, it never was.
I was rooting for Annie Duke last night - she played the game splendidly - and didn't go there to make friends or grow her fame. She is who she is. Joan Rivers on the other hand was a train wreck to watch. She is hillarious, talented, smart, crazy, vindictive, crazy and a little crazy too. Her poor daughter is a walking byproduct of her mother's over-protective and insane nature. She is a sweet woman too, and looks like a Picasso painting. But Joan did win 2/3 tasks last night and took home the prize. You can't convince me otherwise, but I bet her deal with Trump included her daughter being cast on the show and a win for Joan -- it seemed obvious from day 1 that she was going to win. Props to Annie Duke though.
The Office / 30 Rock
I loved 'Cafe Disco' on 'The Office' -- some episodes are just downright touching in a comedic way, and this one was a nice example. '30 Rock' had some great lines as well and I look forward to Alan Alda's assumed story arc.
Didn't watch much else what with the mothers day and the travelling. The DVR is swelling up, but this week is about to GET INSANE:
Monday night 24, only 2 episodes left!
Tuesday night Fringe finale!
Wednesday night 2 hour LOST finale!!!
Thursday night The Office finale!!!
And then I can get around to catching up on everything else until next week's 2-hour 24 finale!!!
I didn't think I would enjoy this season, but I really did. The tasks were very interesting, the cast amusing, annoying, brilliant, stupid, and aggravating were fun to watch each week. Of course the problem was NBC's idea that this show could be 2 hours per week and have a 3-hour finale. No it cannot. And thanks to the power of the DVR, it never was.
I was rooting for Annie Duke last night - she played the game splendidly - and didn't go there to make friends or grow her fame. She is who she is. Joan Rivers on the other hand was a train wreck to watch. She is hillarious, talented, smart, crazy, vindictive, crazy and a little crazy too. Her poor daughter is a walking byproduct of her mother's over-protective and insane nature. She is a sweet woman too, and looks like a Picasso painting. But Joan did win 2/3 tasks last night and took home the prize. You can't convince me otherwise, but I bet her deal with Trump included her daughter being cast on the show and a win for Joan -- it seemed obvious from day 1 that she was going to win. Props to Annie Duke though.
The Office / 30 Rock
I loved 'Cafe Disco' on 'The Office' -- some episodes are just downright touching in a comedic way, and this one was a nice example. '30 Rock' had some great lines as well and I look forward to Alan Alda's assumed story arc.
Didn't watch much else what with the mothers day and the travelling. The DVR is swelling up, but this week is about to GET INSANE:
Monday night 24, only 2 episodes left!
Tuesday night Fringe finale!
Wednesday night 2 hour LOST finale!!!
Thursday night The Office finale!!!
And then I can get around to catching up on everything else until next week's 2-hour 24 finale!!!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
LOST Recap/Theories
Courtesy of exclusive guest blogger AK. Get a sandwich and clear your schedules for this read. I would also like to say that when 2005 Locke told 2005 Richard to go tell 1977 Locke to go back and die so that he can return to the island, and we realize that the knowledge given to Locke by Richard actually came from Locke AFTER he went back and died and came back again -- that's when my brain started bleeding a little I think.
Without further ado, here is AK's take:
here are the "stories" we have going right now. Some of what follows is just overall viewpoint, and a bit is specific to last night's episode.
The island and its mysterious powers.
The hostiles.
The Egyptians (I think that all of the Egyptians are hostiles, but not all the hostiles are Egyptians).
Widmore and Eloise.
The Dharma Initiative.
Widmore versus Ben.
The survivors.
Locke.
The Ajira survivors.
Time travel.
I think we need a big Venn diagram for all of this to explain overlap.
The island is everything. It's the big circle that everything overlaps. The smoke monster is "part of the island" - it predates the Egyptians. The carvings we saw in the temple show it talking to the Egyptian gods. It is a presence that pre-dates them.
I think the Egyptians are the second oldest thing on the island. The temple, Richard (he's been an advisor "for a very long time," and Jacob. The island predates them, but they were the first people on the island.
The hostiles are the larger group of indigenous people that have accumulated on the island over the years via shipwreck (the Black Rock, et al) over the years. The Egyptians have brought them into the hostile fold. Gods do need followers after all.
Widmore and Eloise then came to the island at some point. How? Why? Wasn't young Widmore in the Army? Military operations in the South Pacific during WW2 brought them here, and they never left? (Backstories will assuredly come for one or both of them with dedicated episodes.)
The Dharma Initiative comes to the island and plans to stay. The hostiles don't like this. They establish an uneasy truce.
Ben is brought to the hostiles, his life is saved, he usurps power from Widmore, casts Widmore off the island (where is Eloise?)
The survivors crash on the island, and eventually we discover they've landed in the middle of this whole mess. It is interesting to me that if you look at the "turnover ratio" of the original crash survivors, one could make the argument that none of the survivors is relevant... they are just part of the background. They are the eyes through which we see the greater story unfolding. None of the survivors are all that important in the big picture, except for one...
Who is Locke in all of this? Why is he so special? I don't think Locke was special. I think Locke makes himself special (see below).
And then the Ajira flight crashes and these new Ajira survivors surface. I still think they overlap with the Egyptians, clued by their passphrase of "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" I think Widmore hired them, but I think they are Eqyptians. In the war, who will they fight for (see below)?
I think that there is a war lining up for the last season. But who are the players in the war? Potential players in the war are 1) The Egyptians; 2) The Hostiles mutiny led by John Locke; 3) Charles Widmore? But what troops does he have in place to fight in this war? Where is his representation?; 4) Benjamin Linus? Does he have individual skin in this game, or does he fight on the side of the Eqyptians? It's kind of funny because it sort of seems like no one wants Ben. (Poor Ben.) But what troops does he have in place to fight in this war?; 5) Eloise Hawking. Something tells me she is going to have a role in the war, but again, on whose side? What are her motivations, and are they aligned with Widmore?
And then you add in time travel. The show has always focused on philosophy and religion. It has lead me to wonder about all of the talk of destiny, and with the one scene we saw last night with Locke watching himself come out of the woods, it made me think about Calvinism and free-choice, and pre-determination. Which then led me to the thought of removing religion entirely from the destiny talk. If one could travel back in time, would you not know your own destiny, it having already occurred? And if one knows what the future holds and has at least some level of control over it, does that not make them a god of sorts? Think of Jacob, and Richard, and the Egyptian angle... forget about Stargate and alien Egyptian gods. If you can control time relative to those around you who cannot, would you not be a god to them? Using the power of the island, are people like Jacob and Richard simply people, very old people, who many years ago were gods to a nation? And now, for reasons unknown, they are gods to the hostiles on this island. I think people are creating their own self-fulfilling prophecies. Take this as a thesis and chew on it: Is John Locke the new god of the island? Even more powerful than Jacob? And the reason he is going to kill Jacob is because he already has? And he knows it is his destiny? A destiny that he created for himself. The one thing Lost has made an artform of is tipping us off that very important things have happened offscreen and gets us to move on and forget about them from some other compelling twist. It is the reason that the flashbacks have always been so compelling - they reveal something to us that we never expected, but perhaps we should have (Nothing demonstrates this better than the best hour of TV ever - when we found John Locke had been in a wheelchair.) Think of all the things that Locke could have done while he was out of the picture. The time travel he could have accomplished (or fallen into). And, truth be told, he didn't need any offscreen time, because with the manipulation of time, anything done can be undone? For example, did Locke actually rise from the dead? Or did he "simply" travel back in time prior to having died, and then traveled forward in time again to where he is today? And pardon a brief sojourn into tongue-in-cheek blasphemy, but imagine if Jesus Christ had the power of the island? Could he not have done the same thing? Does a god have the ability to manipulate time, and determine fate and destiny? Or is it the other way around - is it the mastery of time that makes one a god?
I think it will be an interesting ride to the end. I still stick by my bookend theory that the series ends with the remaining survivors boarding the original flight with their corrected timeline. I'm not sure that the timelines will get corrected this season to reunite the remaining survivors. I think that survivors split across the timelines may play out and ultimately something that happens in the past timeline (the detonation of the bomb) will ultimately have a direct effect on the outcome of the war in the future. I think many great dramas and comedies (think Seinfeld) play out best when multiple storylines, seemingly unrelated come together in the realization of the plot. Will we have Kate, Sawyer, Juliet in mainland US in 1977 interacting with a still living Daniel Faraday and Charlotte and any number of other "dead folk?"; Miles, Hurley, and Jin on the island beaches of 1977 - perhaps with Dr. Cheng along; Sayid, Eloise, and Richard on the island in 1977 trying to move the bomb to the Swan - against the wishes of Widmore (and Richard seems to have something planned, as well); and Locke leading a mutiny to Jacob's doorstep, while Richard and Ben have other things in mind. But can/will Ben actually go against his pledge to the smoke monster to follow Locke? Plus Widmore of 2007 is trying to get back to the island. I believe he will. Somehow or other he is going to get back to the island with Desmond in tow...
Without further ado, here is AK's take:
here are the "stories" we have going right now. Some of what follows is just overall viewpoint, and a bit is specific to last night's episode.
The island and its mysterious powers.
The hostiles.
The Egyptians (I think that all of the Egyptians are hostiles, but not all the hostiles are Egyptians).
Widmore and Eloise.
The Dharma Initiative.
Widmore versus Ben.
The survivors.
Locke.
The Ajira survivors.
Time travel.
I think we need a big Venn diagram for all of this to explain overlap.
The island is everything. It's the big circle that everything overlaps. The smoke monster is "part of the island" - it predates the Egyptians. The carvings we saw in the temple show it talking to the Egyptian gods. It is a presence that pre-dates them.
I think the Egyptians are the second oldest thing on the island. The temple, Richard (he's been an advisor "for a very long time," and Jacob. The island predates them, but they were the first people on the island.
The hostiles are the larger group of indigenous people that have accumulated on the island over the years via shipwreck (the Black Rock, et al) over the years. The Egyptians have brought them into the hostile fold. Gods do need followers after all.
Widmore and Eloise then came to the island at some point. How? Why? Wasn't young Widmore in the Army? Military operations in the South Pacific during WW2 brought them here, and they never left? (Backstories will assuredly come for one or both of them with dedicated episodes.)
The Dharma Initiative comes to the island and plans to stay. The hostiles don't like this. They establish an uneasy truce.
Ben is brought to the hostiles, his life is saved, he usurps power from Widmore, casts Widmore off the island (where is Eloise?)
The survivors crash on the island, and eventually we discover they've landed in the middle of this whole mess. It is interesting to me that if you look at the "turnover ratio" of the original crash survivors, one could make the argument that none of the survivors is relevant... they are just part of the background. They are the eyes through which we see the greater story unfolding. None of the survivors are all that important in the big picture, except for one...
Who is Locke in all of this? Why is he so special? I don't think Locke was special. I think Locke makes himself special (see below).
And then the Ajira flight crashes and these new Ajira survivors surface. I still think they overlap with the Egyptians, clued by their passphrase of "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" I think Widmore hired them, but I think they are Eqyptians. In the war, who will they fight for (see below)?
I think that there is a war lining up for the last season. But who are the players in the war? Potential players in the war are 1) The Egyptians; 2) The Hostiles mutiny led by John Locke; 3) Charles Widmore? But what troops does he have in place to fight in this war? Where is his representation?; 4) Benjamin Linus? Does he have individual skin in this game, or does he fight on the side of the Eqyptians? It's kind of funny because it sort of seems like no one wants Ben. (Poor Ben.) But what troops does he have in place to fight in this war?; 5) Eloise Hawking. Something tells me she is going to have a role in the war, but again, on whose side? What are her motivations, and are they aligned with Widmore?
And then you add in time travel. The show has always focused on philosophy and religion. It has lead me to wonder about all of the talk of destiny, and with the one scene we saw last night with Locke watching himself come out of the woods, it made me think about Calvinism and free-choice, and pre-determination. Which then led me to the thought of removing religion entirely from the destiny talk. If one could travel back in time, would you not know your own destiny, it having already occurred? And if one knows what the future holds and has at least some level of control over it, does that not make them a god of sorts? Think of Jacob, and Richard, and the Egyptian angle... forget about Stargate and alien Egyptian gods. If you can control time relative to those around you who cannot, would you not be a god to them? Using the power of the island, are people like Jacob and Richard simply people, very old people, who many years ago were gods to a nation? And now, for reasons unknown, they are gods to the hostiles on this island. I think people are creating their own self-fulfilling prophecies. Take this as a thesis and chew on it: Is John Locke the new god of the island? Even more powerful than Jacob? And the reason he is going to kill Jacob is because he already has? And he knows it is his destiny? A destiny that he created for himself. The one thing Lost has made an artform of is tipping us off that very important things have happened offscreen and gets us to move on and forget about them from some other compelling twist. It is the reason that the flashbacks have always been so compelling - they reveal something to us that we never expected, but perhaps we should have (Nothing demonstrates this better than the best hour of TV ever - when we found John Locke had been in a wheelchair.) Think of all the things that Locke could have done while he was out of the picture. The time travel he could have accomplished (or fallen into). And, truth be told, he didn't need any offscreen time, because with the manipulation of time, anything done can be undone? For example, did Locke actually rise from the dead? Or did he "simply" travel back in time prior to having died, and then traveled forward in time again to where he is today? And pardon a brief sojourn into tongue-in-cheek blasphemy, but imagine if Jesus Christ had the power of the island? Could he not have done the same thing? Does a god have the ability to manipulate time, and determine fate and destiny? Or is it the other way around - is it the mastery of time that makes one a god?
I think it will be an interesting ride to the end. I still stick by my bookend theory that the series ends with the remaining survivors boarding the original flight with their corrected timeline. I'm not sure that the timelines will get corrected this season to reunite the remaining survivors. I think that survivors split across the timelines may play out and ultimately something that happens in the past timeline (the detonation of the bomb) will ultimately have a direct effect on the outcome of the war in the future. I think many great dramas and comedies (think Seinfeld) play out best when multiple storylines, seemingly unrelated come together in the realization of the plot. Will we have Kate, Sawyer, Juliet in mainland US in 1977 interacting with a still living Daniel Faraday and Charlotte and any number of other "dead folk?"; Miles, Hurley, and Jin on the island beaches of 1977 - perhaps with Dr. Cheng along; Sayid, Eloise, and Richard on the island in 1977 trying to move the bomb to the Swan - against the wishes of Widmore (and Richard seems to have something planned, as well); and Locke leading a mutiny to Jacob's doorstep, while Richard and Ben have other things in mind. But can/will Ben actually go against his pledge to the smoke monster to follow Locke? Plus Widmore of 2007 is trying to get back to the island. I believe he will. Somehow or other he is going to get back to the island with Desmond in tow...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
HIMYM Note and More...
Stella is not the mother of Ted's children. I think we all know that. She is just another link in the chain of events that will lead to 'the mother'. We can rest easy -- since Stella sucks. It's amazing that Sarah Chalke can play two different characters on TV at the same time, one night apart, and one of them I love with all my heart and the other just sucks. Damn she is good.
I love '24' -- this season is top notch. It's also dragging on now. Can we please end this thing before I formally get bored? Please? Hopefully we have one or two good twists and some solid action sequences left. Let's send her home with a bang.
NOTES:
-Still two episodes back on B+S
-Still two episodes back on Greek
-I AM TELLING EVERYONE to watch the 3-hour finale on Sunday of Celebrity Apprentice. Annie Duke and Joan Rivers flat out hate each other. Hate. Its going to be awesome.
I love '24' -- this season is top notch. It's also dragging on now. Can we please end this thing before I formally get bored? Please? Hopefully we have one or two good twists and some solid action sequences left. Let's send her home with a bang.
NOTES:
-Still two episodes back on B+S
-Still two episodes back on Greek
-I AM TELLING EVERYONE to watch the 3-hour finale on Sunday of Celebrity Apprentice. Annie Duke and Joan Rivers flat out hate each other. Hate. Its going to be awesome.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Here Comes NBC Fall Schedule
NBC sucks. We all know it. I watch several of their shows, but no dramas - except the 'L&O' franchise because NBC sucks. And with Leno moving to 5-nights-per-week, its going to suck even more.
Here is what they announced today at their annual upfronts for next season
Here is what they announced today at their annual upfronts for next season
Friday, May 1, 2009
'Lost' Rebuttal plus 'Castle'
Here is my rebuttal to exclusive Op-EdTV Lostologist AK:
I see where you are going, and I don't mind it. But let me tell you this -- I hope that what are you saying is accelerated a little more. In my mind, the end of this season should wrap up the whole time-space/destiny issue. I am hoping that we end the season with everyone back together in 2007 on the island, and we are aware of how we changed history and in what way. Then we get the big shocker/twist to kick us into next year...if my intuitions are correct, the last 16 episodes should be all about the war for the island: Castaways vs. Widmore vs. Others/Locke vs. Linus vs. Hawking vs. Ajeera Crew (shadow of the statue) people. We have a lot of groups with a lot of interests left -- its going to take a whole season to sort it all out methinks. As Huey Lewis once said, sort of, "gotta get back in time".
CASTLE
Watched 1.5 episodes so far. Like it.
I have more to say on this new style of zany crimesolvers on TV - but its gets a whole post and I am going to dinner now.
I see where you are going, and I don't mind it. But let me tell you this -- I hope that what are you saying is accelerated a little more. In my mind, the end of this season should wrap up the whole time-space/destiny issue. I am hoping that we end the season with everyone back together in 2007 on the island, and we are aware of how we changed history and in what way. Then we get the big shocker/twist to kick us into next year...if my intuitions are correct, the last 16 episodes should be all about the war for the island: Castaways vs. Widmore vs. Others/Locke vs. Linus vs. Hawking vs. Ajeera Crew (shadow of the statue) people. We have a lot of groups with a lot of interests left -- its going to take a whole season to sort it all out methinks. As Huey Lewis once said, sort of, "gotta get back in time".
CASTLE
Watched 1.5 episodes so far. Like it.
I have more to say on this new style of zany crimesolvers on TV - but its gets a whole post and I am going to dinner now.
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